When you learn their language you may realise that dogs never stop talking…
Signs that may indicate stress, anxiety or fear in dogs include a tucked tail, ears flat and back, licking the lips or nose, whale eye, looking away, raised paw, trembling, a low body posture, yawning, panting, grooming, sniffing, seeking out human comfort, hiding and a stiff or frozen posture. Some of these are also examples of displacement behaviour.
It is important not to focus on just one aspect of the body but rather one should observe the whole of the body whilst also considering the context and environment. An example could be a dog that lunges whilst on the lead. Is it because it is frustrated by the lead and may possibly otherwise be friendly off lead? Or perhaps it’s a genuine fear and the dog is exhibiting the behaviour in question to see off the other dog?
Clients are often unaware that their dog may be exhibiting signs of stress or fear. One study showed that about 30% of dogs in the veterinary waiting room displayed signs of stress which were not noticed by the owners and included panting, yawning and grooming.
Tails
A wagging tail does not always mean the dog is friendly as many people believe. If the dog is highly aroused, either positively or negatively, the tail often tends to be raised high. Tails tend to wag when a dog is emotionally aroused. Dogs may also use their tails as communicative signals which can include threatening displays or appeasement, play, nervousness, confusion, anxiety and fear.
Tense or loose body
A tense body can indicate uncertainty, apprehension or a feeling of being uncomfortable in the environment. When a dog freezes this could be a warning that the dog is preparing for a flight or fight response. If the warning is ignored, aggressive behaviour may happen. Conversely, a loose, soft and flexible body will indicate that the dog is relaxed and comfortable the environment.
Avoidance
Avoidance behaviour is characterised by a dog looking away or walking away and is an attempt to avoid conflict or confrontation. Cut off signals are generally used between two or more dogs and typically during play sessions or greetings. These are noticeable when a dog stops what it is doing and does something different such as yawning, lip licking, sniffing the ground or scratching. Dogs that have been well socialised will respond better to these signals than poorly socialised dogs. Those dogs less versed in this language may become confused and this may lead to aggression. Fearful avoidance is shown by a low head and tail with the body close to the floor as if trying to appear smaller.
Ears
Similar to the tail, what a dog does with its ears will give indications about the internal emotional state. Ears that are back and flat against the head may indicate a submissive feeling, especially in younger dogs. Ears that are back but not quite flat can be a sign of agitation. Perked up ears show the dog is alert and interested or perhaps to make the dog look bigger either to show aggression or as a response to aggression.
Patricia
McConnell and Karen London are ethologists, PHD level qualified. Both are
Certified Applied Animal Behaviourists and professional dog trainers
specialising in treating serious behavioural issues in domestic dogs.
Feisty Fido addresses the very specific behavioural issue of leash reactive dogs that demonstrate aggressive behaviour towards other dogs. The book offers advice in a very straight forward and easy to understand manner and is optimistic in its outlook; in the first few pages it states that even for most lead reactive dogs there is a high rate of successful treatment.
However, the book remains somewhat grounded and emphasises that it will not ‘create dogs who are good with all other dogs in all situations’ but rather more realistically states that what you will gain from the advice within the book is the ability to walk your dog on the lead around others without causing a scene (successful management is often the only realistic outcome.)
The essence
of the book revolves around the principles of counter conditioning and
desensitisation and provides easy to understand concepts and examples that even
someone new to dog training should be able grasp and therefore implement a
workable behaviour change programme so as to train a dog to exhibit behaviour
that is different to the current reaction to a stimulus.
The effectiveness
of counter conditioning and desensitisation is contingent on them being used
together. This methodology is often used in behaviour change programmes and
especially for types of behaviour associated with anxiety, fearfulness and
aggressiveness. Although often lengthy in process these techniques have a
proven track record of success and are appropriate in that they do not suppress
behaviour but rather they engage to alter the actual emotional response of the
dog to specific stimuli.
Desensitisation is the first part of the procedure in
which a learned fear is extinguished by gradual low level exposure to the
stimulus. The aim is that the dog is eventually exposed to the stimulus without
involuntary fear responses being evoked. It should be noted that the process of
desensitisation may allow the subject to get to a position of feeling neutral
to the stimulus rather than fearful but it will not elicit positively pleasing
emotions.
It is with counterconditioning that the respondent
behaviour of the dog to a stimulus is replaced with a contrasting automatic
response. The process can actually replace an undesirable response to a
stimulus with a positive emotional response instead. This is achieved by
the association of the aversive stimulus with something salient and appetitive
while the dog is under the threshold of emotional arousal. Nonetheless, the
book is also realistic and certainly lays no claim for a silver bullet or a
quick fix and stresses that in reality the process of serious behaviour modification
takes time, patience and consistency.
By using
these approaches the book proceeds to teach what it refers to as the watch, the same contingency is often
called look at me and simply means
gaining the dog’s attention. This is one of the most important of behaviours to
teach in dog-training as teaching a dog to focus on you is paramount. The
procedure outlined in this book advises training to start in areas with no
distractions which then graduates systematically and slowly with low
distractions set at a sub threshold distance, working towards a situation of
more prominent distractions until a point that the subject will eventually
learn that whenever they see another dog, it is better to watch you than to pay
attention to the other dog.
The second training
technique outlined is teaching the dog the U-Turn. As the name suggests this
involves training the dog to turn 180 degrees and go the other way upon seeing
another dog. The rationale behind this is to encourage the dog to follow the
client away from the stimulus without having to be tugged on the lead, which in
itself can exacerbate leash reactivity. Again, this process is slow and
systematic and one that starts with no distractions and works up to higher
levels of distractions but is a very worthwhile exercise.
As might be
expected this book takes an ethical path and follows the obligation to find the
least intrusive intervention possible, these are the principles and techniques
that have come to be known and are referred to as positive reinforcement. In
this instance intrusiveness is defined by the degree to which any method causes
harm either physically or emotionally to the dog.
Unsurprisingly
the book avoids any reference to methods of shock or startle. It is alarmingly
common advice that dogs expressing fear or aggressive behaviour be shocked or
startled at the point of the undesired behaviour being exhibited in attempt to
stop the behaviour. This ranges from spraying the dog in the face with water to
using an electric shock collar. As already discussed many times, these methods
act to suppress behaviour instead of changing the behaviour and are highly
likely to exacerbate the behaviour thus making it worse.
The danger of aversive punishments is that it is often viewed as effective by dog owners who may see initial reductions in the undesired behaviour caused by distraction. In his book ‘Aggressive Behaviour in Dogs’ O’heare (2014) states; ‘in order for punishment to be effective in a behaviour change programme it must meet very rigid criteria which to most if not all dog trainers is practically impossible to achieve ergo any novice dog trainers have no hope of achieving desirable and safe results that will carry over the lifetime of the dog, more likely is that it will produce more intensive behavioural issues in the long run and also serious traumatic experiences for the dog.’ In addition it’s worth noting that a deterioration in behaviour can also result with even the most experienced of trainers as we do not always know the association the dog may make.
The book is
short but by following the recommended procedure one should have a dog that is
counter conditioned to look at the handler and avoid pulling towards other dogs
while on the lead. This is a good starting point but if you want a dog that is
happy to meet other dogs on the lead and on good terms then this book should be
considered as a first step in a longer and more holistic program.
Layla is a Staffordshire Bull-Terrier of about 3 years old.
History
Layla was rescued through the All Dogs Matter Charity in December 2017 making the transition to a new and permanent home by January 2018. She had been abandoned in the street and left tied to a post. Layla was underweight and malnourished. She was still producing milk at the time so it was clear that she had recently give birth.
Issues
When aroused, Layla would sometimes pull on the lead and lunge at other dogs.
She appeared to have a strong chase drive with the main targets being squirrels and sometimes cats.
Layla would jump up at people to gain attention.
The clients wanted to learn more about Layla’s behaviour especially recognising signals and signs of emotional arousal particularly as they were concerned about Layla in the company of other dogs.
I recently asked for a testimonial:
“Danny has greatly helped us better understand our rescue dog Layla and her behaviour. This has made such a big difference in our relationship with Layla. The first few months after adopting Layla, we learned that she was reactive to other dogs. Since working with Danny, we have learnt more about dog signals, body language and how to manage her in different situations and her reactivity to other dogs has gone down.
It’s easy talking with Danny and he is really good at listening, is patient and isn’t prescriptive, but more guiding and positive in his training with ourselves and Layla. It continues to be a pleasure to meet up with Danny to learn more and improve our training with Layla. Working with Danny has made us more confident as dog owners.”
Words can be powerful and words can have an impact.
Do you cringe in the park when you hear someone describe their dog’s behaviour as ‘she is just showing them who the boss is’ or similarly ‘he thinks he is the alpha male’?
Do you look to the heavens at the notion of a ‘pack’ that runs beyond the scope of the collective noun?
Perhaps those that work in the professional field learn to override the emotional arousal at words and terms like ‘leadership’, ‘dominant’ or ‘nothing in life is free’ and accept that this is just part of dog park parlance and taking exception to this sort of language, while frustrating, is a waste of time.
However, dog professionals should know better and especially those that work within the realms of what has become known as ‘positive reinforcement’. Some might even say, if you know better, then you should do better.
Most trainers these days, when referring to a protocol of ‘nothing in life is free’ (NILF) do not intend to actually implement a boot camp style aversive training programme. Rather they probably intend to train a dog into the habit of taking direction from the guardian along the lines of the ‘Premack Principle’.
If this is the case, then why not use the term ‘Premack Principle’ instead of using words that may imply or suggest something punitive and competitive or some sort of adversarial relationship based on winners and losers?
For many dog trainers there exists an endless cycle of myth busting by continuously bringing forth the facts and evidence against a tsunami of old wives tales. Therefore, the job in hand is made more difficult when professionals (dog walkers, trainers, vets or behaviourists…) continue to use these toxic terms.
I am sure that many use these words simply out of habit but when you know a word is ambiguous of meaning, sits in a grey area or is controversial why not just stop using those words?
Words can have very strong associations and be extremely subjective and some words are so contaminated by inappropriate meaning that they can conjure up completely the wrong impression.
If, in our training of dogs, we are to take the ethical and moral high ground of the ‘Least Intrusive & Minimally Aversive’ then we should apply the same criteria to our language.
Making better choices with the words we use and therefore the consequences they have will create a better and kinder future for all dogs and for the people you influence.
On Sunday 24th June, Bankside Open Spaces Trust organised one of the largest street parties in the country to celebrate all that we have in common, inspired by the late MP Jo Cox.
As part of this local event, we hosted our second annual dog-show – The Great Get Together Barkside. Despite competing with the heat-wave and England World Cup match, the event was a great success, and there were many a happy dog.
Our guest judge on the day, and for the second year running, was the delightful and charismatic Barking Blonde herself – Anna Webb from Radio London’s ‘The Barking Hour’.
The show was made possible by the incredibly generous donations from a range of wonderful sponsors including Burns Natural Food For Pets, Lily’s Kitchen, Hiro + Wolf, Kitty Forbes Illustrations, Pooch & Mutt, bybenji, Beco Pets, Dogrobes, and Beautiful Joes.
With the welfare of the dogs always in mind, we provided ample shade, water, lots of grass, and a plethora of treats. Within two hours we managed to raise £284 for the registered charity All Dogs Matter – a fantastic North London-based charity relentlessly working to re-home dogs in need – #adoptdontshop
Categories:
Lady of Southwark won by Zelda
Lord of Southwark won by Monty
Best Trick won by Buddy
Golden Oldie won by Yubi – kindly sponsored by ‘Kitty Forbes Illustrations’
Best Rescue won by Max – kindly sponsored by Hiro + Wolf
Best in Show (winner of al categories) won by Yubi
Thank you to all who attended, all our volunteers, and of course the wonderful Anna Webb.
Today I saw a post online from the super good dog charity ‘Dogs On The Streets’ (DOTS). I looked at the picture and then read the name and thought….’hang on a minute’.
I knew Omar and Brigadier about 4 or 5 years ago but lost touch when they suddenly moved on. One day they were just gone. Colin is still around.
We met Colin and Omar around 2014. It was a hot day and I was sitting in the sun outside the Gladstone Arms Pub and I saw these four walking down the street towards me. Ronnie the Mastiff was a strong dog and liked to exercise that strength by pulling poor Colin everywhere. As they past I offered them water and some dog treats from the pub and we got chatting.
Ronnie the mastiff was a puller and got very excited at life and sometimes people were nervous around him. Brigadier was fine with everyone and everything but seemed to have a skin complaint around his neck. We started regular meet ups to chat and we addressed both issues as best we could in the circumstances and course I became very fond of them all.
One day they both said they wished they had some nice photographs of their dogs.
Thanks to photographer Clara Blomqvist who very kindly arranged this shoot and took these pictures.
October 2016
“Ronnie sadly died shortly after these pictures were taken. Omar has moved on somewhere and I often hope him and ‘Brigsy’ are OK.
Two beautiful people and two beautiful dogs, all four dealt a shit hand.
These pictures were taken by Clara Blomqvist upstairs at The Gladstone Arms SE1.”
Dogs On The Streets
Dogs on the Streets, a volunteer run, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the welfare of dogs belonging to the UK’s homeless community.
The Great Global Greyhound Walk is an annual dog-walking event that brings together greyhounds, lurchers, other sight-hounds and their owners to raise awareness of the breeds and show the public what wonderful pets they make.
Today we attended our local version of the Great Global Greyhound Walk which took place in Victoria Park, East London.
The event was organised by our dear friends, and sight-hound enthusiasts Kathy & Nick (and of course the star of the show Max the lurcher). The event was open to Greyhounds, sight hounds, Whippets, Saluki, Lurchers, and any combination of the above. There were a few companion dogs as well to keep their trusty dog best friends calm and happy. To be honest, any dog was welcome, as were some wonderful ‘non-owned humans’. A lovely couple (with no dog) came along to simply walk with the hounds and meet owners as they themselves were interested in re-homing a rescue sight hound.
It was initially expected that just a few friends would stroll around the park for fun so it was a pleasant surprise when about 30 sight hounds turned up at 10am. The weather was perfect, and as you can imagine, the procession stimulated a lot of interest from passers-by.
After circumventing the remains of the All Points East Festival we all took rest and refreshments in the sun. New friends were made, dog treats were shared, and smiles all round. Such a wonderful way to bring together the community and make new friends, both canine and human.
On Sunday the 18th June, thousands of street parties, picnics and baking competitions were held across England to remember MP Jo Cox, a year after she was murdered. Bankside Open Spaces Trust hosted the Great Get Together Bankside opening the streets to colour, laughter, music, theatre, food, drinks and of course…dogs.
No street party would be complete without dogs, so this year, Bankside hosted its first dog show ‘The Great Get Together Barkside’.
The show was hosted by Radio London’s Anna Webb of ‘The Barking Hour’ and was open to dogs of all shapes and sizes to help raise money for the London-based charity ‘All Dogs Matter’. Categories included Lord and Lady of Southwark, Best Rescue, Golden Oldie, Best Trick, and the winners of these categories was awarded the accolade of ‘Best in Borough,’ and took home a hamper of human and canine goodies.
Despite the heat, the dogs had a wonderful time hanging out in the ‘dog chill out zone’ complete with bunting, paddling pools, tasty treats and blankets from our sponsors and dog toys galore.
With help from our generous sponsors, the Great Get Together Barkside managed to raise £356 for the All Dogs Matter charity, an absolutely fantastic success. This money will really make a difference, helping All Dogs Matter to feed dogs, get them chipped, vaccinated, neutered and can help towards any veterinary costs.
It was lovely seeing such a fantastic range of dogs and owners and it was touching to see so many people turn up to watch the dogs strut their stuff.
The catchphrase of the day in honour of Jo Cox was “we have more in common than that which divides us”. Nothing more encapsulated this than the range of dogs, owners, and observers, all of whom came to show their support for All Dogs Matter. An absolutely wonderful, and forever memorable day.
With thanks to our generous sponsors: Hiro + Wolf; Fetch and Follow; Burns Nutrition; Lily’s Kitchen; Doodles by Dishwashee; The Darling Dog Company; and Sarah Whitehead’s Clever Dog Company.
It is perfect dog walking weather in London today, being neither too hot nor too cold. As such many Londoners are taking their canine companions to the polling stations across the capital as they decide who will be the next Prime Minister.
While tempers flare and blood boils in heated political debate, dog owning social media users have added an element of much-needed fun and joy to the proceedings and #dogsatpollingstations has picked up pace and is filling Twitter and Instagram feeds across the nation.
(Rolo & Roxy)
#dogsatpollingstations started with the 2015 general election and has since gained erm…’momentum’ at every major voting opportunity. According to Anna Webb from Radio London’s The Barking Hour, dogs at polling stations represent 53% of dog owning voters.
Social media is awash with pictures of dogs of all shapes and sizes outside polling booths obviously with no clue as to what is going on but happy enough to pose for a photo.
(Mr. F & his extra long snozz)
What are the rules on dogs at polling stations?
According to the Blue Cross animal charity, dogs are ‘generally’ allowed inside the polling station as long as rules are followed. You might even be lucky enough that a polling station member of staff holds your dog’s lead while you vote.
Guidelines from the electoral commission say that dogs can enter polling stations in an ‘accompanying’ role but should be kept on a lead and must not disrupt the vote.
Can I take a photograph of my dog inside a polling station?
It is not against the law to take a photograph inside a polling station but it is not allowed to communicate information about how someone has voted, is about to vote, or to communicate the unique ID ballot paper number so it might be best to take pictures outside so as to stay within the law. Breaking the law could lead to £5000 fine.
A well-run puppy training class will be led by an experienced dog behaviourist or veterinarian who has received behavioural training. They usually take place at a dog training facility or local vet which has plenty of open space to work. While local classes will vary, most have an upper age of 16 to 20 weeks depending on the type of puppy. For example, toy breeds may be allowed to attend for longer, while puppies that have already grown adult teeth will probably be considered too old for puppy classes.
Most puppy training courses are held once a week for around four to eight weeks, though this will vary across local areas. Usually there will be a particular focus on two or three things during each class, such as ‘come’ or ‘wait’, and you will be expected to continue the training at home with your pup between classes. Classes often cover the basics including socialisation, tips for house training your puppy, basic obedience, and general communication between you and your dog.
What can my puppy learn from attending a puppy class?
Puppies can learn a lot from attending a well-run puppy class and the ultimate end-goal is to set a strong foundation for your dog’s training and behaviour in the future.
One of the most important skills a puppy can learn from these classes is bite inhibition. While it is normal behaviour for puppies to bite, this is not a behaviour that you want to be carried through into adulthood. As such, it is important for puppies to experiment with biting so that they can learn not to bite too hard and eventually not to bite at all.
Puppies attending puppy classes can also practice socialisation. This can help the pups learn how to socialise confidently and appropriately with other puppies, strangers, and veterinarians, an ability which is highly desirable in an adult dog. Socialisation is key if you want a dog that is able to communicate, read signals, and happily co-exist with other adult dogs and humans.
Puppy classes also offer the chance for puppies to practice ‘play’ behaviour. Play sessions are extremely important for puppies because they offer opportunities for the quick resolution of social problems, including fearful or aggressive behaviour. Having quick resolutions of these problems is important, because the more a puppy practices an unwanted behaviour without resolution, the more likely it is to become entrenched and carried through to adulthood. Dealing with entrenched behaviour late in life can lead to lengthy rehabilitation programmes.
In order to maximise learning from play, classes should include puppies of all sizes and play styles. Small dogs need to develop confidence and larger dogs should learn how to be gentle. Classes with only large dogs may encourage boisterous behaviour with the puppies learning to take these play styles with them into adolescents and adulthood. Similarly, if classes are limited to only small puppies, it is possible that these will become fearful of larger dogs, or not know how to approach them appropriately.
This short blog was based on a technical report submitted to “Think Dog Advanced – early learning in dogs”. The full technical report, with references, can be accessed by emailing the author at dannydecourtelle@rocketmail.com
